Just wild about Ari

He's a ruthless Hollywood agent and the best thing about ITV2's cult series Entourage, but Jeremy Piven was a jobbing actor before he morphed into Ari Gold. He took home an Emmy last August and is up for a Golden Globe next month. Now he's starring in a movie as a sleazy Vegas magician with a price on his head in Smokin' Aces, released on 12 Jan.

You're getting bigger film roles now thanks to Entourage, but are you worried about being Ari Gold for life?

Some people think I am Ari Gold, and that this soft-spoken guy from Chicago is just an act. I can't complain, though - Ari is an embarrassment of riches. We're shooting season four now and I feel like a fighter who's still waiting to throw his right. I want to get into Ari's family life and find out why there are people like him.

Have you come across many Aris during your time in Hollywood?

My character is based on one particular person and I have to work hard to infuse as much humanity into this guy as I can. There are some incredibly grisly characters out there. An agent like Ari would never have had the patience for an actor like me a few years back. They're heat-seekers, and I've been auditioning to play the acerbic best friend for the last 17 decades.

So, an Emmy at 41 and being nominated for a Golden Globe must feel satisfying.

When I was younger, the holy grail was to play in the big theatres in Chicago, so this is a completely different world. And now I've got my third nomination for a Golden Globe. I'll be taking my mother to the ceremonies again - I must be the first straight man ever to take his mother three times in a row.

Are you happy with Smokin' Aces

It feels really fresh to me. It has an intricate narrative, with hyper-violent homages to A Clockwork Orange mixed up with some very serious, tragic moments.

What else is in the pipeline?

I've just finished The Kingdom, with Jamie Foxx and Chris Cooper about a terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia. I play a man from the US state department, with grey hair and glasses and a bad suit. It took a role about the backstage life of Hollywood to finally get Hollywood's attention. It's something I'm very grateful for.